First weeks of the 2015 Campaign

Before the game on Friday at home against Zalgiris Kaunas, Malcolm took a moment to answer some questions about the ongoing season.

You’ve won 5 out of your first 6 Euroleague games. What do you have to do as a team to continue this good work?
I think now we have to continue to get better as a team and once everybody gets healthy, that will as another dimension to our team.

You are facing Zalgiris on Friday against whom you had a great game but the team won by just 2 points. What problems will you be addressing before this game to make it less close than last time?
I think if we do exactly what we did the first game, plus eliminate unforced turnovers and make sure our home court energy stays high we will have a great chance to get the win.

What has been the response to your epic 20 points in 5 minutes vs. Panathanaikos. The highlights were heavily posted online. What did you feel on that day, you knew that you can have a strong performance?
That day was just like any other day. I wanted to be aggressive from the start but I missed some easy shots that I’m confident in making but didn’t lose confidence and found my rhythm in the second half. Once I got some easy shots it felt like I love couldn’t miss and I was in attack mode. Most good scorers know that feeling and when you get it nobody can stop you.

Thanks to your great play you have received an October MVP award. We know that personal awards don’t mean anything to you when a team is losing. But it has been an opposite scenario with Lokomotiv. Do you feel valued and excited when you and the team are doing good?
Yes, the fact that we are winning makes this award that much better. Usually when I’ve had these type of runs I had a few losses and never had the opportunity to receive any of these awards but this one is because my coaches and teammates trust and believe in my ability.

It’s been said that this year’s team is built for you. Do you think that it’s a good approach and thanks to it your potential can be maximized?
Absolutely, coach came here with the knowledge of my game because he wanted me previously. This is the biggest part of being able to play my game and for once in my career have a team built around me. It makes me take on a bigger leadership role and I take pride in pushing myself to be ready every night because the team depends on me.

A lot has been said before the season about Dontaye Draper joining you in Lokomotiv due to the Baltimore connection. So far how do you guys feel playing with eachother and ‘discovering’ a bit of Russia with Dontaye?
I think we naturally have a connection on the court and it’s good to have somebody I know personally that can tell me what he sees to make me better during practices and games. Also having someone that is genuinely a friend off the court and not just because we met overseas helps a lot with being comfortable here.

Which game so far this season were you most proud of yourself personally and for your team?
The last game vs Pao because we went into one of the toughest environments against one of the top European clubs and got a win through adversity. This was big for all of us.

Who do you feel will be the biggest obstacle in the further stages of the Euroleague game? Are there any teams or friends you would like to face off against in upcoming games?
I’m not really sure his year. I think Euroleague is wide open and there are many teams that can make a deep run if they play up to their potential. So we will see how things go but I think it’s too early to decide how far a team can go before top 16.